All Stories, Science Fiction

Educated Fishwives by Adam West

DSC_0592

I decided to check again. For the last time. No point keep on hoping the consignment would make it here before the twenty-second.

It wouldn’t. No choice but to proceed before it was too late.

A hologram whirred up and out of the console in a lazy fashion, like a half-cut genie who could not care less about being emancipated.

The soon-to-be-re-incarcerated figure intoned: ‘UPDATE: Next consignment due eighteenth of –’

I jabbed a finger at an ephemeral terminal button. Cut the genie’s damn circuits.

Continue reading “Educated Fishwives by Adam West”

All Stories, Science Fiction

The Show by Charles Bigelow

DSC_0592

The bars of the cage sparkled. Each morning the cleaning detail scrubbed them from outside the building using long handled brushes. A clean cage kept life threatening germs away from the inmates, the same germs that caused the near extinction of the human race.

Continue reading “The Show by Charles Bigelow”

All Stories, Science Fiction

Future Imperfect by Des Kelly

DSC_0592

 

The near future…

“Don’t talk about God or the worthwhile causes. I won’t believe what anyone says. They’re in it for themselves; they have to be. Survival is the only strategy. Take it from me. I know what I’m talking about, and bollocks to the rest.” Edwards paused. “Are you paying attention?”

Panoni wasn’t listening, and to prove the point scratched his balls.

Continue reading “Future Imperfect by Des Kelly”

All Stories, Science Fiction

Unit 4207’s Failed Assignment by Piyali Mukherjee

DSC_0592

Decrypted sections of the file are as follows:

Data log attributes: Begun on 5787th day of 23rd Lunar Cycle

Type: Personal

Today was the day I started on the gene project. It was not as complicated as I expected. Unit 5481 tells me the beginning is always easy. All you have to do is choose the number of genes you want to work with. It’s maintaining the culture that’s the nightmare.

Continue reading “Unit 4207’s Failed Assignment by Piyali Mukherjee”

All Stories, Science Fiction, Story of the Week

Kill Switch by Nik Eveleigh

DSC_0592

“You’re looking for some answers. I can understand that. I can relate. Isn’t that what the hippies used to say?”

Joe’s gaze remained flat. He waited for the man to continue.

“Don’t say much do you? I’m guessing you’re all out of empathy as well as words right now but if not, I won’t keep you. Good luck in finding a tree left to hug.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell us why it started.” Continue reading “Kill Switch by Nik Eveleigh”

All Stories, Science Fiction

Do Eros Sevens Dream Of Jupiter And Mars? by Adam West

DSC_0592

The two hundred and fifty kilometres per hour station-to-station no-turbulence pipe came to a stop. End of the line. Everyone off.

I stepped out the pipe onto a narrow walkway amongst a shoulder-to-shoulder throng six wide whose momentum funnelled me toward a down-ramp and into a square, where a girl with dreadlocks leaning against a 3-D sandwich-board bit through a foil wrapped protein bar – without first removing the foil.

Continue reading “Do Eros Sevens Dream Of Jupiter And Mars? by Adam West”